The New Element
by pileoblock
Summary: Everything has changed. In one day, a boy gets heart-breaking news, and is told he will have to go to an orphanage. But, before he gets the chance, something happens. What happens you ask? I believe you will find that on your own... Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: The News

Stars adorned the beautiful night sky while the moon's rays lit it up. A cool summer breeze blew across the farm land, making the tall grass dance and sway. The farm, named Sweet Apple Acres, was as peaceful as could be. No one stood upon it's ground. No one, except for a boy. He was about four and a half feet tall. He was medium sized, not too big, but not too small. His short, dark brown hair stood still on his head as the cool breeze blew past. Tears streamed down his cheek, out of his soft, blue-green eyes. His name was Cody.

He stood, looking across the farm land, memories flooding his mind. He had just been given the worst news anyone could ever be given, earlier that day.

**Earlier that day**

Cody sat at a circular, wooden table. On the table was a plate on which rested a serving of scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon, and a slice of toast. Next to the plate sat a glass, filled with orange juice. He had made this breakfast himself. His parents, both employed in the navy, were out at sea.

As he began to work on his eggs, he heard a knock at the front door. "Coming!" He called. He slid his chair backwards, stood up, and walked to the door. "Good morning," he said as he opened the door. Standing outside was a tall man clad in brown dress pants and a brown sports jacket. A brown striped hat sat on his bald head. Wrinkles crossed his face as he smiled sadly down at the boy.

"Good morning to you as well," the man said, tipping his hat. "I have a few letters for you." He reached into his jacket and brought out four official looking documents, all rolled and sealed. He gave them to Cody, his sad smile turning to a frown.

"Thank you," Cody said, turning around to put the papers away.

As he did this, the man at the door spoke softly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Cody turned around abruptly, suddenly scarred. "W-what?" he stammered, confusion welling up inside of him.

The man pointed at the papers, still in Cody's hands. "Read them," he said sadly.

Cody carefully broke the seal on one of the documents and unrolled it. He nearly dropped the paper as he read the first line aloud. "Notice of Death. But who could've died? I know it couldn't have been mom or dad."

Tears threatened to fall from the bald man's eyes, but he closed his eyes to prevent them. He took a breath to steady himself as he looked at the boy._ Why are you being so emotional? This is your job._ He thought. He took another breath. "Continue," he said, his voice shaking a little.

Cody continued reading. "We are sorry to inform you of the death of Susan A. Jenkins." Tears formed at his eyes as he read, but he pressed on. "In accordance to her last wish, we cannot say how she died. We give you our condolences. She was a great sailor, mother, and person." The flow of tears increased as he continued reading. Following the last words were details of her death, including time, date, and rank.

"I'm sorry to say, but your mother, father, and grandparents, have all died," he took a deep breath and continued. "In accordance to our laws, you must be put in a local orphanage. I am to give you one day to pack and make peace with this." He lowered his head. "I am truly sorry." He slowly closed the door and walked away, off the front porch and to his car. As he reached the car, a single tear dropped. "Poor kid." He whispered to himself as he climbed in the car and drove off, leaving behind a touch of sadness.

Cody stood, still staring at the paper he held in his hands. Tears fell freely now from his eyes. Suddenly, a wave of guilt swept over him. "I couldn't protect them." He said aloud, rolling the paper up and putting it with the others on a shelf. "I should have tried harder." He shook with sadness and guilt. He walked back into the kitchen and sat down back in front of his plate, shoving the plate aside. Slowly, Cody put his head into his arms on the table. Unable to hold back anymore, he broke down in sobs.

_I am alone._ He thought as he drifted to sleep on the table. _Alone._

**Present**

The lonely farm boy now layed on the hill, looking up at the stars. His mind wandered to his parents. He had so many questions, but none could be answered. _How did they die? Why didn't they want me to know how they died? Could I have protected them?_ The last thought sent chills down his spine.

_If only I had been there..._ Slowly, his eyes drooped and closed, bringing him closer to sleep. _...I could have at least tried._ The final thought crossed his mind as he drifted into unconsciousness.

**Meanwhile**

A peaceful night wind blew across Canterlot, cooling any late night pedestrians. The full moon was now at its peak, shining down upon all of Equestria. Clearly seen standing on a balcony of Canterlot Castle was Princess Luna. The Princess's mane was blown to the side in response to the wind. This had no effect on her. The Princess was deep in concentration, helping ponies with nightmares, and watching their dreams. Thus far, everything was going well. A few nightmares, but nothing she couldn't handle.

Her subconscious form stood in a pitch black room. Many colorful orbs floated in this room, each representing a pony, or person's dreams. As they floated peacefully, Luna watched, carefully looking at each one, making sure that all dreams were peaceful. As she looked at each one, a specific orb caught her eye.

This orb was black. As Luna looked over it, she could hear a faint cry coming from inside. _This is one of the worst nightmares I've ever seen._ She thought, preparing to dive into the orb. She took a step back, then jumped, diving head first into the orb. Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2: The Nightmare

A soft wind blew at Cody's neck, the smell of salt drifting along with it. The new found smell burnt at his nose a little, forcing him from sleep. As he opened his eyes, he saw a blue sky, white puffy clouds floating along. He looked up and saw the sun. The blinding rays of light coming from it forced him to close his eyes again, but he quickly discerned that it was in the middle of the sky. Looking down, he saw a metal floor. Tiny bumps of metal were scattered across the floor, seemingly for traction.

He looked to the right. His breath suddenly caught in his chest as he looked out at a beautiful sight. To the right, he saw the ocean, sunlight making the waters glisten a brilliant green. Waves flowed through the water, hitting the side of the boat, he now realized he was on, repeatedly. The new sights were breath-taking as Cody had never seen the ocean. Reluctantly, he pulled his gaze away and looked to the left.

To the left was a large, square structure. It seemed to be made entirely of metal. A small, plain door stood closed, facing Cody. He eyed it with a look of curiosity. A thought suddenly presented itself. _How did I get here?_ He pondered this for a moment. After a while, he pushed the thought away for later. As soon as he did this, a new question appeared. _Now what?_ Cody scanned the area around him, trying to find an answer to this question. His gaze stopped on the door. _Perhaps I can search around in there._

A slight smile formed on his face as he carefully took a step forward. He loved to search new places, even if it normally led to trouble afterwards.

As he took a second step, a loud thud sounded, his right foot suspended in mid air. The area around his foot rippled like water. The smile on his face quickly faded as he pulled his leg back, setting his foot back on the ground. He reached out to touch the ripple, moving his arm carefully. As his fingers brushed it, he felt a smooth, hard material.

The ripple grew as he jerked his hand away, startled from the contact. He looked at it, too many questions to ask filling his mind as he mulled over what this was. Slowly, he reached out to touch it again. Again, the material met his touch and he recoiled. He repeated this several times, each time feeling the same material.

He sighed, nervous sweat glistening on his forehead. He reached out to try once more. As he touched it again, a loud sound startled him. The ripple grew, once again, as Cody yanked his hand away, looking for the source of the sound. It didn't take long to find it.

A man stood at the now open door. He looked very familiar to Cody, though he couldn't quite place him. Short brown hair stood on top of his head. Every muscle in his body seemed to be worked and strong under his thick, burned red skin. The man was clad in a black uniform, a crest of a bird, wings spread wide, resting upon his chest. He looked to be about six feet tall. His strong, dark green eyes gazed at Cody, a look of happiness spread across his face.

As Cody looked on at the smiling man, memories came flooding back to him. All of them seemed to have one thing in common, his father. He now realized who he was looking at and smiled back, a pain deep in his heart. _Maybe he was lying._ He thought. _Maybe it was a dream. _

Cody ran forward, hoping to reach his father, only to hit the invisible wall that had perplexed him just moments before. He pushed at it, hoping to somehow move through. As he did this, he could see his father running to him. And in just one instance, this seemingly perfect dream had turned into a nightmare.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion, each second pausing before falling into the abyss called the past. As his father ran towards him, Cody saw, what seemed to be a monster, lurking behind him. It looked to be made of pure darkness. It wore a black cloak. A thick, black, leather hood washed it's face in shadows. The only discernible features of its face were two, blood-red eyes. They pierced through the darkness like torches ablaze.

In its hands was a metal scythe, its blade looking razor sharp. Dried blood caked its smooth edges, some falling on the ground as the scythe moved in the creature's hands. To Cody, it looked exactly as he would have imagined death.

"Look behind you!" Cody yelled, flailing his arms. Still, his father ran, working to get to his, now terrified looking, son. He hadn't noticed the strange creature behind him, until it was too late. Within a second, the creature had raised his bloody weapon, and sent it slicing through the air, finally meeting with the man's body.

A loud, piercing scream slashed through the air as the scythe pierced through the man's side and glided through, flying out the other side. Blood coated the ground as the two halves of the man fell and skidded across it, skin tearing as it hit the metal bumps. His death had been almost instantaneous.

The creature smiled at the body as he licked the blood off his scythe. Cody stared at the body, tears forming at the sides of his eyes. He had just got his father back, just woken from that horrible nightmare. Now, he was thrust back in.

Cody wiped the tears from his eyes, replacing his sadness with anger as he looked to the creature. A fire burned in the pit of his stomach, only to be doused by what he sought. Revenge. The two stared at each other for the longest time, neither making a move, other than the rise and fall of their chests. Suddenly, the silence was broken as a woman stepped out from the building.

She had long, blonde hair, styled into a pony tail. Her muscles were big under her lightly tanned skin, though not so much as the man who had come before her. She wore the same styled suit that the man had worn. As she came out, her dark blue eyes gazed at the sight before her. First, she looked at Cody, followed by the creature, and lastly at the man's body. Her expression never changed, stuck on a look of neutralism.

Her gaze flowed back to the creature, anger sparking in her eyes. She then looked back over to Cody, mouthing the words 'I love you'. Her gaze flowed back to the creature, a faint smile on her lips. She then walked closer to the creature, never faltering. She knew what she had to do. As she approached, the creature raised its scythe, ready to strike.

As soon as she came into range, she gave Cody a sad look, tears welling in her eyes. Three last words were spoken. "Goodbye, my son."

"Mom!" Cody screamed, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He pounded against the wall, each strike bruising his hands. He shook in anger and sadness, rage filling his bones. "Mom!" He yelled again, hoping it would stop this horrible nightmare. All it seemed to do was worsen it.

She turned back to the monster, meeting its evil gaze with a look of anger. It smiled, bringing the scythe crashing down upon her head, cleaving her in two. A high pitched scream of pain emanated from her, quickly fading away into silence. Her blood littered the floor where she had stood. Her death had come just as quickly as the other.

"No!" Cody cried. His voice grew louder as he continued, anger in his voice. "No! No! NO!" At the last word, he flung himself at the invisible wall, trying his final time to break free. As soon as he hit it, it shattered, pieces of the world breaking as he hit. His momentum carried him forward, falling into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3: A New World

Princess Luna watched with horrified eyes as the nightmare progressed, suspended in midair by an unseen force. It had taken hold of her as soon as she leapt through the orb, and no magic in the world could pry her from its grasp. She had already tried.

She saw the dark creature, hidden beneath its robes. The child, screaming frantically, flailing his arms. The man, running for the child, a look of determination on his face. As soon as she saw the creature raise its weapon, she turned her head away, knowing the end result, and feeling powerless to stop the child's clear suffering.

When she dared to look back, she saw the body of the man, split in half, skin torn and blood oozing from the two halves. She again looked away. She had seen violence like this before, but knowing that a child was being forced to, it hurt her. Looking back again, she noticed something new.

A woman stood near the creature, looking at the child with sad, loving eyes. Faintly, Luna heard the woman say the words "I love you." before turning back to the creature. It look less than a second, as the creature already had its weapon raised, for the sickening act to come through.

Luna watched the child intently now, waiting to see a response. She saw the child run, looking ready to hit something. Then, she fell, her wings quickly expanding to let her glide through the air. As soon as she stabilized herself, she looked at where the child had been. She saw a hole in the dream, leading to darkness. Without delay, she spread her wings and took off for the hole, a determined look on her face. A quick thought ran through her mind as she reached the hole. _What could have happened to make him have a nightmare like this? _She pushed it into the back of her mind and delved into the darkness.

* * *

Tears streamed down Cody's cheeks as he fell, descending ever deeper into the darkness. His emotions swirled inside him, first sadness, then anger, then confusion. He didn't know how to cope with what he just witnessed, so he cried, letting at least a little tension out.

As he fell, he began to calm himself down, each sob decreasing in power until, at last he stopped. Total silence met his ears. Not even the sound of wind approached. His emotions still twisted around inside of him, but he suppressed them, letting his mind remain clear. He looked around, trying to discern where he was. Only darkness met his gaze.

For what felt like hours he fell, lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly, he heard a faint sound. It sounded like the flapping of bird wings, but much harder. This jerked him out of his thoughts, sending him to look for the noise. The flapping steadily rose in volume until it was all Cody could hear. At this point, he had found the source of the noise.

A great, dark purple mare flew towards him. Her blueish purple mane waved behind her as she got closer. On her chest was a cloth piece, embroidered with a symbol of the moon. A black splotch on her flank harbored the same symbol. A horn adorned her head. The mare seemed to have a saddened expression, her grey eyes looking directly at Cody.

Cody curled up into a ball, still falling through the darkness. He didn't know what the strange looking animal was going to do, so he suspected the worst. Without warning, he felt something slide underneath him. The falling feeling he had, stopped. Slowly, he uncurled, peeking his head out of the feeble attempt at protection.

The mare he had seen was now holding him in her hooves. His heart beat faster as his eyes widened. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he stared, paralyzed with fear. Noticing his fear, the mare spoke smoothly, trying to calm the child down. "Shh. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." This seemed to work, as the tension in Cody lessened. "My name is Luna. Princess Luna. What's your name?" she asked, attempting at calming him further.

"M-my name is C-Cody," He stammered, still partially afraid of Luna.

"It's very nice to meet you Cody. I just wish it was under better circumstances." She looked him over once before continuing. "I have a question to ask you. What could have made you have this nightmare? Do you know?" She looked intently at him, starving for an answer to that question. She just hoped it wasn't what she thought.

For a few moments, Cody remained silent. Only the sound of the duo's breathing could be heard. He seemed to be thinking. Suddenly, he spoke in a sad tone. "Today, or at least I think it was today, this mixed up time has lost me completely." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, I..." He recounted the events that he could remember up to the dream. His detail surprised Luna. "...And that's all I remember up until now."

Luna stared at him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She blinked to prevent them from doing so. She had never heard one so young describe hurt and fear so real. For a while, all was silent again as she thought about what to do._ I don't want him to have to go to that orphanage._ She thought. _Perhaps..._

"Cody, may you close your eyes for a second?" Luna asked. "I promise I won't hurt you." Cody closed his eyes. He didn't know why, but he trusted the mare.

"OK." He responded.

Luna's horn started glowing a purplish grey as she lowered it toward the child. As it touched him, he turned limp. She had cast a simple sleep spell on him. It wouldn't last long, so she needed to hurry. Her horn shown a brighter light, surrounding both her, and Cody. _I hope you like this surprise._ Luna thought, as a loud pop sounded and the duo flashed away.

* * *

A bright flash filled the room as the two reached their destination. Luna had teleported them into a small bedroom of Canterlot Castle. The pristine, checker tiled floor glistened underneath her as she hovered to the bed, in the center of the room. The moon's rays glittered through the windows behind her, casting the room in odd shadows. Slowly, she set Cody down, resting his head gently on a soft pillow.

_He looks so peaceful now._ She thought. _I just hope it will last._ Silently, she landed and walked to the door, opening it just enough to get out. A slit of light landed on the boy's face. "Sleep well," she whispered, walking out into the hallways of the castle. Quickly, she made a path to her sister's room. She didn't wish to wake her, but she had no choice.

Finding the magnificent door to her older sister's room, she knocked, opening the door slightly after. "Tia?" She called softly. She looked around the room, finding no trace of the alicorn. "Tia!" She said, slightly raising her voice. She tried once more, unsuccessfully. _If she's sleeping this well, it'd be best not to wake her. _She thought. She turned around and walked out of the room, quietly closing the door.

* * *

Cody's eyes shot open as he snapped upright in the bed. He instantly regretted that decision. A sharp pain blossomed in his head, forcing him to lay back down. As soon as the pain subsided, he rose again, this time slower. "Where am I?" He asked himself, shaking off his grogginess.

He looked around the room, taking in all there was to see. An ornate, medium sized writing desk lay to his left, centered on the white wall. Moonlight filtered in from a plain looking window to the right. As he looked down at the bed he was in he saw that the sheets were a dark purple, white specks of fabric intertwined within. A voice interrupted his inspection, causing him to jump.

"Hello, little one." It called, drawing Cody's gaze to it. In the doorway stood a white mare. She stood proud and tall, her mane blowing behind her as if an unseen wind gusted around her. It shone a mixture of pink, green, purple, and blue. Her light purple eyes looked at him knowingly. A piece of seemingly pure gold rested upon her neck, a single purple gem residing in the center. On her flank rested a symbol of the sun. What were these markings?

"H-hi," Cody responded, not quite sure how this was possible. Was he still dreaming?

As if reading his mind, the mare spoke. "I see you have many questions to ask. I would like to wait until the morning to discuss these, however. To answer one you may have, no, this is not a dream. Also, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Celestia, Princess of the sun."

"It's very nice to meet you, Princess Celestia. M-my name is Cody." Cody said softly. "Forgive me, but, where is the one who I think I met earlier. I think she said her name was Princess Luna?"

A small smile spread across Celestia's lips. "Yes, my sister. I'm sure she went looking for me. She should be here in just a moment." She stepped inside the room, nearing the bed, and turned to look where she had stood.

No sooner had she done this, than Luna slid through the doorway. A look of surprise appeared on her face as she saw her sister sitting with Cody. "Oh! There you are!" She exclaimed. Her look melted away to just smile. "I suppose you two have already met?"

"We have." Celestia replied. "May we talk in private for a minute?" She asked, more to Cody than Luna. He nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Thank you." Together, the two left the room, a worried expression on Luna's face.

As the door closed behind them, Celestia turned to face Luna, a slightly annoyed expression on her face. "Why did you bring him here? You'd better have a good reason, I doubt you would bring him otherwise."

"Yes, I had good reason to bring him here. If you heard his story, I would be lead to believe you would find it significant. I must warn thee though, it is not short." Luna said, not daring to waver, though very nervous.

"I've got time." Celestia responded as she sat on the floor. "Go ahead, sister."

Luna began to recount what Cody had told her, starting at the day, followed by him falling asleep, the nightmare, and finally catching up to the present. Celestia's expression changed during the telling, from her annoyed scowl, to a sympathetic look, to one of sadness.

As Luna ended, Celestia spoke. "I believe you did bring him here for good reason. One so young should not have had to witness all that before their time." She quieted again before continuing, "As such, if you would like, I would be honored to make Equestria his new home. That is, if he is accepting of it as well."

A near impossible smile flashed across Luna's face as she nearly soared out of the room. Suddenly, it vanished, replaced by a look of realization. "But, neither of us can take care of him, at least not as he should be."

Celestia walked over to her sister and put a wing around her, comforting her slightly. "Don't worry. I've thought of that. I have an idea, but it will have to wait. Come, let us ask Cody if he would like to have Equestria as a home." The two sisters returned to the room, quietly opening the door.

As they stepped inside, they saw a sight that lightened their hearts. Cody had curled up and fallen asleep in the bed, his form rising and falling with each breath. A slight smile formed on his lips, not big, but enough to know that he was happy. The two alicorns backtracked into the hallway, smiles still intact.

"I don't think we should wake him," Celestia said, putting Luna's thoughts to words. "Let's wait until morning."

Luna nodded, trotting off towards a nearby balcony. She still had to watch over the night, but the happiness that threatened to overwhelm her, helped her complete that task with renewed vigor. Celestia cantered to her room, the lack of sleep now affecting her as she rubbed her eyes. She still had one last task to complete however, before entering the warmth of her bed.

As she entered her room, she walked to a writing desk and pulled a quill and piece of parchment out of a wooden container, light emitting from her horn as she so. The two materials floated toward her, a golden light surrounding them. As soon as they reached her, she dipped the quill in ink and began to write:

Dear Princess Twilight, I apologize for sending this letter so late, but circumstances of late have forced me to do so. Tonight, a rather strange event has taken place. My sister, Luna, has brought a child from another world here. I would speak more of it, but this needs to remain a secret and I do not want prying eyes to read this. I summon you and the other elements of harmony to the castle as soon as possible, though preferably, in the morning. I bid thee a good night, or good morning. Sincerely, Celestia

She set the quill down, concentrating wholly on the parchment. With one flash, the letter vanished, sent to the recipient. This done, she jumped into the air and glided down upon her bed, happy to be back to sleep. _I hope he says yes._ She thought, before falling into the darkness of her mind.


	4. Chapter 4: New Friends

The moon's rays glided through the air, landing effortlessly upon the streets of Ponyville. Swarms of twinkling stars beamed down at the land, showing like diamonds. Not a cloud littered the sky. A warm wind surfed by, rustling the straw roofs resting upon the countless buildings that made up the friendly town. As it swept past the large tree that was the town's library, it caused the branches to sway, creaking and groaning as they did so.

A lone, soft light shone from the topmost window of the building, partially illuminating the room within. Inside the room sat a light purple mare, seeming to be in a staring contest between a book, resting on the wooden desk in front of her. Her dark purple eyes glanced back and forth, gathering new information with every cycle. Suddenly, she pulled her head away from the book, the purple horn atop her head glowing a grey-purple mix.

A quill floated up from the desk, the same colored aurora surrounding it, moving to a clear, glass jar of black ink. As soon as it was dipped, it began writing, still being controlled by the unicorn's magic. After it had completed its task, it dropped back to its former position, the light around it fading as the unicorn began to rise from her sitting position. Her dark purple mane fell over her face, the purple and pink stripes in the center hitting her in the eyes.

She took a deep breath and blew upwards, sending the askew hair back to its proper place. Her newly obtained wings stretched outwards from her sides, wobbling a bit. She hadn't had much time to get used to them yet, and still couldn't really fly. She did succeed at falling on her face though so far.

With the brief rest completed, she folded her wings back to her sides and slowly retook her former position. Her tail moved, revealing a symbol of a dark pink star lying over a white star, with white sparkles surrounding it on her flank. As she started reading again, the door to the room burst open.

"Spike! What are you doing up so late?" the mare spoke, turning her head to look at the tiny dragon entering the room. "You know it's not good for a baby dragon to be up this late."

"I'm not a baby!" he protested sleepily. "You've got a letter from Princess Celestia. Must be pretty important for her to send it so late," he yawned. He began to walk to her, the green spikes on his head bouncing at each step. Halfway to her, the letter levitated from his purple, scaly hand, enveloped in the light from the mare's horn.

"Thank you Spike. Go back to bed, I'll be there in a moment," she said as the letter reached her.

"No objections here," he replied. Seconds later, the sound of the door closing echoed through the room.

"Now, what could this be?" She asked herself, hovering the scroll in front of her. Quickly, she broke the golden seal, formerly holding the scroll together, with her magic, and tossed it onto the desk, the letter unfolding immediately. Her eyes speedily scanned the words written on the page. As she finished, she placed the letter on the desk and stood up, walking out of the room.

As she walked into the hallway, a slight smile crossed her lips. In the middle of the hallway laid Spike, curled into a tight ball. _He must have been exhausted._ Twilight thought, lighting her horn to put him to bed. "I should write a note to let him know what has transpired," she whispered to herself.

She walked the short distance to her room, opening the door with her magic. Gently, she placed Spike in the basket he slept in, and covered him, earning a smile from the assistant. Finished with the first task, she levitated a small scratch of paper and a quill, freshly dipped, in front of her. _Keep it short and sweet._ She thought.

Dear Spike,

I have gone to Canterlot for business of utmost importance. Don't worry, as I'm sure I will be back soon.

Sincerely , Twilight Sparkle

P.S. Don't forget to do your chores! I will complete mine when I return.

Satisfied with her work, she levitated the quill back to its former position and placed the message next to the basket. Finished, she moved to the door. "I'll see you when I get back," she whispered, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. "Now, to get the others." She trotted down the stairs and out the front door, into the streets of Ponyville.

* * *

Beams of sunlight shimmered though the windows of Canterlot Castle, signaling the coming of dawn. Eight ponies sat inside the room containing Cody, talking quietly and taking looks at the lump of covers where he lay. Small snores could be heard faintly from under them.

"What do you think it looks like?" a marshmallow white mare asked.

"That 'it' is a he," Luna corrected.

"Do ya think we should wake 'im?" a light orange mare questioned.

The talking continued for a moment before an answer was issued. "Yes, I believe that would be fine. Would you like to Applejack?" Celestia asked.

"Ah don't see nothin' wrong with it," she replied, walking up to the bed. Lightly, she tapped the lump with one of her hooves. "Time ta wake up sugarcube," she stated lightly.

Suddenly, the lump puffed up, growing as the body under it moved up. "Mom?" Cody called, trying to get out of the cocoon of blankets around him. "Mom!" Suddenly, he lurched to the right, flying off the bed and onto the hard floor, nearly hitting a cyan pegasus. "Ow," he stated plainly, finally free from the cocoon.

"Are you alright?" Luna asked, walking to help him up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank yo-" He stopped, realizing where he was, or, more importantly, where he was not. "Um, where am I?" He asked, stepping away slightly.

"Do you not remember last night?" Luna asked, looking at him with concern.

"You mean, that wasn't just a dream?" His eyes widened with shock, quickly returning to normal. "Wait, I heard my mom. Is she here?"

Everypony in the room turned to look at Applejack and back to Cody. He followed their gazes to look at her as well, a look of familiarity on his face. "Mom?"

"Ah think you got the wrong pony. Actually, ah don't think your parents would be ponies at all."

Cody looked down. "Sorry," he said simply, "I guess it really wasn't a dream at all."

Everyone looked at him, concerned. "A-are you ok?" A light yellow mare asked, shying away behind her pink mane at his gaze.

"Don't worry," he said with a slight smile. "I'll be alright. May I ask your name?"

"My name's..." she continued too soft to hear.

"What did you say?" He asked, leaning in.

"Fluttershy," she said, just audible enough to hear.

"It's nice to meet you Fluttershy. My name's Cody." He smiled softly and turned to the rest. "May I ask the same of you?"

Applejack stepped up first. "Ya might have already met me, but my name's Applejack. Nice ta meet ya!" She stepped back.

Next, the cyan mare came. "Nice to meet ya! My name's Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!" She flew up in the air to emphasize her point, striking a pose, then landing back where she had stood.

"Howdy!" A pink mare jumped up to Cody, forcing him to take a step back. "My name's Pinkie Pie! I'm the one who jumped up here and said 'Howdy, my name's Pinkie Pie!'. Welcome to Equestria! Oh! We could throw a 'Welcome to Equestria' party! There could be streamers, and cake, and games, and.." she steadily gained speed talking until Applejack put a hoof to her mouth.

"That's enough there sugarcube. Don't want ta scare him, do ya?" Pinkie shook her head, earning release from Applejack's hoof. "Don't mind her, she's a bit excitable."

"Hey!" Pinkie said, "Don't be a party pooper pony!"

"Anyway, my name is Rarity," said the marshmallow colored unicorn. "I am the greatest fashonista in Ponyville, nay, all of Equestria!" She swayed dramatically. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Cody said, bowing slightly, a bit bigger smile on his face.

"Oh, gentlecolt," Rarity blushed.

Lastly, Twilight stepped up. "It's nice to meet you, Cody. My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess formally, but I prefer to just be called Twilight." She smiled, evoking an even bigger smile from Cody.

"It's nice to meet you too." Cody looked around the room. "Just in case, the white, um, mare, is Princess Celestia, and the dark purple one is Princess Luna."

Everypony in the room giggled slightly at this. "Thank you, and, for future reference, ponies with both wings and horns are called alicorns." Celestia looked around the room. "Now for the business at hoof. I have called you here today to impart you with a task, not hard, I promise, but important all the same." Everypony in the room looked intently at her, tension starting to rise in the air.

"It has come to our attention that we cannot take care of our guest, not because we do not wish to, but because we have not the time with our other duties. All we ask is that-"

"We'll do it!" Fluttershy yelled out, startling everyone in the room.

"Do the rest of you agree?" Celestia asked, looking everypony in the eye.

_He could be help on the farm._ Applejack thought. _And besides, it would be fun to make a new friend._ She nodded, smiling slightly.

_I'm not sure if I have the time to look after him myself, but I'm sure I can help._ Rainbow Dash decided. "I accept," she stated, smiling.

Celestia's gaze turned to Rarity. "What of you, generous Rarity?"

_Think of the possibilities! So many new ideas! Plus, it would be helping him and others._ "Yes, I believe I can help," Rarity almost sung.

_He looked so gloomy earlier. Maybe if I do this, I can cheer him up!_ "Okie dokie lokie, I'll take it!" Pinkie bounced around the group, evoking smiles from everyone.

"And you, Twilight?" Celestia questioned.

"I'm sure I could help. Anything to help a pony, or person, in need." Twilight said, looking at Cody.

"Then it is decided," Celestia declared, "Cody shall stay in the company of you all. Thank you for agreeing to do this. You may leave when you are ready." With those words, the two elder alicorns left the room, creating a thunderous silence.

"So, are you ready to go Cody?" Twilight asked, looking intently at him.

"I-I believe so. Where will we go?"

"You'll see," Twilight smirked, "I'm sure you'll love it."

The group made their way out the door, moving for the main exit of the castle. _This is quite the place. It's almost enough for me to forget everything. I wish I could forget everything, but then, what would be left of me. I believe I can live here. Maybe, if I ask, I can receive some answers, any answers. _ Cody thought as he exited the room. _Any are better than none_


	5. Chapter 5: Finding Memories

"Cody? Cody? Wake up Cody!" The words echoed through Cody's head, filling the dark space around him with colors of every hue.

"Is he ok?" The voices, they sounded so familiar. Another wave of color washed through his vision as the words echoed again. His head throbbed at the loud sounds. "Wake up Cody!"

His eyes snapped open to reveal the beautiful sights of the window, lush, green hills flowing out of view. His head throbbed, as if it had been hit with a brick. "Ugh," he groaned, sitting up in the warm leather seat of the train, "I'm up. What did I miss?" He turned his head to look at the others, stretching his arms upward. As he did this, he realized all of the party's eyes were on him, looks of shock etched on their faces.

"Are you alright?" asked Fluttershy, reaching to his head and moving a stray hair into place with her hoof.

"Why wouldn't I be? Did something happen?" Cody moved closer to the wall of the train, fearing more bad news.

The six ponies looked at each other and back to Cody. "Well," began Applejack, "while we were talkin', you stared out the window. Remember?"

"Yes, I remember, but I thought something happened," Cody stated.

"When you were starin' out the window," she continued, "you kinda just went limp. We didn't know what happened or what ta do, so we tried to wake you. Do you remember any of this?"

Cody racked his brain for any knowledge of the events leading to this. "I remember...color. Dark purples, cyan blues, brilliant greens, fiery reds, pitch black. Mostly pitch black. I heard your voices. They sounded far away, but yet loud. You called for me... you were worried. I'm sorry for making you worry like that."

"Oh, it's quite alright darling, as long as you're fine. You are fine, right?" Rarity questioned, looking at Cody with eyes like sapphires.

"I'm fine." Suddenly, a loud growl filled the area. "I guess just a bit hungry," he said, smiling.

Everypony giggled at this, the sound of six more growls coming after. "I guess we all are!" Pinkie said, confetti coming from her mouth as she did so.

"H-how-"

"Don't ask. It's Pinkie." Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"Well, now that all that's over with, would you like to join us?" Twilight asked, "It could be fun!" She wiggled in the seat to emphasize her point, making everyone giggle.

_Well, whatever thoughts I'm looking for certainly aren't coming from looking out the window, and she is right, it could be fun._ "Sure, I'll join you."

"May we ask you some questions?" Twilight inquired.

"That seems to be what everyone is doing lately, so sure. Ask away, but I might not be able to answer all of your questions."

"Ok, well, to start-"

Suddenly, the sound of the conductor roared through the room. "We are now at Ponyville Station! Please remember all luggage! Thank you for riding the Ponyville Express!"

"Looks like question time will have to wait," stated Dash, "we have to go and show Cody all around!" Without warning, she zipped out of the cabin, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake.

"Wow! Fast!" Cody said, startled by the sudden wind.

"She wasn't kidding when she said she was 'the fastest flier in all of Equestria.'" Twilight explained, "Now, let's go catch her before she leaves us, again..."

Cody chuckled. "Right behind you!" Together, the party stood and exited the cabin, walking toward the exit of the train. "Wow!" Cody exclaimed as he stepped off the train. "This looks almost exactly like home." Buildings of every shape and color stood before him, dirt roads intersecting them. Various smells wafted to the station, making the party's stomachs growl in protest.

"I'm simply famished!" Rarity complained, "Where is Rainbow Dash?" In less than a second, Rainbow Dash appeared in front of them.

"Did somepony call?" She asked, coming up on her back hooves. "I'm here!"

"Good. I know you're excited and ready to show Cody around, but we need to eat first. Do you have any ideas?" Twilight questioned, walking to stand beside her.

"Ah know!" Applejack exclaimed. "We could eat at the farm. Maybe a picnic?" Everyone nodded in unison.

"That sounds like a splendid idea! However, perhaps we could get ready first?" Rarity requested, looking down at her light blue nightgown.

"I need to inform Spike of this too." Twilight said.

"And I have some work to do before I can come." Rainbow Dash stated, flapping her wings to hover over the ground.

"Goodness! I almost forgot that I didn't tell the animals where I went this morning! I need to go make sure they're all right." Fluttershy nervously flapped her wings.

"We could meet later, how about at noon?"

Everypony nodded their heads. "I think we could make it." Twilight said. "See you later!" With that, the four took off on their own paths, leaving Applejack, Cody, and Pinkie alone.

"So, what about you Pinkie? Got anything you need to do before the picnic?" Applejack asked, walking to her side.

"Nope! I can come and help set up if you need me to! Oh! Nevermind, bye!" Pinkie sprung high into the air and took off like a rocket.

"Seriously, does anyone know how she does that?" Cody asked, looking at the pink trail left behind.

Applejack shrugged. "Ah don't know, but come on! We need to get ready." With that, Applejack took off leaving Cody in the dust.

"Wait!" Cody called, "I can't... run... as fast... and she's gone. Well, time to follow the tracks." Cody dashed down the line of tracks. _I sure hope this isn't far._

* * *

The minutes passed like hours as Cody ran, attempting to keep up with the pony, now in sight. _I just had to open my mouth, didn't I?_ Finally, he caught up with Applejack. "Are we...there yet?" Cody puffed, coming to a stop.

"Yep. Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!" Applejack pointed a hoof toward what looked like hundreds, if not millions of apple trees.

"Wait, did you just say Sweet Apple Acres?" Cody asked, breath regained.

"Sure did. Why? Have you heard of it before?"

"I lived on a farm named the same. It had apple trees, like those, a barn, house, and a tree-house. The tree-house was always my favorite."

"Sounds quite a bit like ours,"Applejack stated, "if you'd like, ah can show you our tree-house. Well, my sister's really."

"Thank you," Cody said, starting to walk, "but is it ok if I can see if I can show you? I'd really like to test this."

"Sure, ah don't see a problem with that, just don't get lost." Applejack said, following Cody into the shadows the the trees. In about a minute, they both came upon the tree-house, the newly placed wood a bright yellow.

"We're here," Cody said, walking toward the door of the building.

"Does that mean we lived in the place without knowin' it?" Applejack asked, rubbing her head with her hoof.

"I'm not sure. Maybe a different dimension, or something in that area. However, that does mean that you might have a rival against your knowledge of this land!" Cody chuckled.

"We'll have to see about that sometime. If you'd like, you can go in, but ah really need to go get ready. Be careful, and don't get lost if you decide to wander!" With that, Applejack ran off, leaving Cody in another fit of dust.

_I really hope walking and running isn't the only way to get places around here, or I'm gonna have some trouble keeping up._ As Cody walked toward the steps to the tree-house, he noticed a blue scooter resting against the base of the tree, worn and scraped all over. _Well, that answers that question. _After taking a moment to look at the scooter, he rose up the steps, reaching the door and opening it slowly.

As he entered the room, he noticed three pairs of eyes looking back at him, each belonging to a small pony, one marshmallow white, another a light yellow, and the other a moderate orange. "Monster!" They all cried at once, nearly bursting Cody's eardrums. Quickly, they all ran past him, almost toppling him over. _Well, that was interesting._ Getting over the shock of the cry, Cody walked toward a pile of pillows laying on the floor. "If this is the same place then what I'm looking for will be here." Cody said reaching into the pile. After a few seconds, he pulled out a wooden, heart-shaped locket. He quickly put it in his pocket and started after the three ponies. _I hope they'll forgive me for scaring them like that, but in all fairness, they did deafen me._

Cody chuckled and looked around, searching for a trail or pathway. Finding none, he ran to the first place he could think of. _I always imagined that if a monster came, I would hide in the barn, so why not try there first?_ Reaching the barn, Cody attempted to open the doors, to find them locked. From inside, he could hear a voice cry out, "Go away monster!"

"You know," Cody started, "you really shouldn't make assumptions. I'm not going to hurt you. You can come out, I'm here with Applejack."

Murmurs were clearly audible from inside the barn. They persisted for a moment before, finally, the sound of something big could be heard being moved. Slowly, the door opened and the three fillies popped out. "Are you really here with Applejack?" the yellow one asked.

"I am. My name's Cody, and you are?"

"My name is Applebloom," the yellow one spoke, "That there's Sweetie Belle," she said, pointing to the marshmallow colored unicorn filly, "and that's Scootaloo," she said, pointing to the orange pegasus filly, "and we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" They all yelled out, forcing Cody to cover his ears. "Sorry," Applebloom said. "You said you were with my sister. Why?"

"Well," Cody started, "it's a long story."

"We've got time," Scootaloo stated, "so come on, tell us!"

"Fine, you win,"Cody said, feigning defeat, "but I warn you, it's long-ish." Cody began to, once again, tell the story of how he had come to be in this new world, having difficulty saying some parts. By the end, the three fillies remained quiet, heads down. Finally, Sweetie Belle decided to speak.

"That's such a sad story," she said, "but do you know how any of them died?"

"No, I'm not sure, but it's kinda weird, they all died mysteriously on the same day. Please don't tell any of the others, Twilight, Applejack, anyone. I'm not sure if they know, but I know I haven't told them yet." Cody said, walking toward the group. As he did this, the leather strap of the wooden locket pushed its way out of his pocket.

"Hey!" Applebloom exclaimed, "That's my locket! How did you get it? Nevermind, just give it back!"

"What do you mean, this is my...oh...I'm sorry." Slowly, Cody took the locket from his pocket and transferred it to the filly's hoof. "Again, I'm sorry. I remembered that I kept my locket-they look exactly alike- in the same spot you kept yours. Did your mother give it to you too?" At the mention of her mother, Applebloom looked as if he had nearly killed her with the word.

"It's...It's..." Suddenly, Applebloom took off running, dodging through the trees, tears in her eyes. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked back at Cody with venom in their eyes before running to catch up to Applebloom, leaving Cody alone.

"I-I didn't mean to open these wounds of hers. I didn't know that she had lost her family as well. Does that mean...? I didn't know..." Slowly, Cody walked to the nearest tree and hopped into it, covering himself in the foliage. _I don't want to be seen right now, I need to think._ Tears welled in his eyes, for his family, for hurting the filly. For his confusion. He curled into the foliage until he was certain nobody could see him. As his eyes, heavy with these mix of emotions, fell closed, he uttered the words, "I'm so sorry."

* * *

"Hello darlings, sorry I'm late, I just had to pick the perfect outfit for the day." Rarity said as she sat down on the checkerboard colored blanket set on the ground. A slight breeze blew, stirring the stiffening air.

"Don't worry about it Rare, we know how you are." Rainbow Dash teased.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Rarity asked, putting her hooves to her sides in mock anger.

"Oh, nothing." Everypony let out a giggle at the play-fight.

"Hey, does anypony know where Cody is?" Twilight asked.

"The last time ah knew was when ah left him at the tree-house. He could've gotten tied up with the girls. Ah'll go check." Applejack said, preparing to run. As she was about to take off, a light yellow projectile flew into her, hugging her as she tumbled backwards. "Applebloom?" Quickly after, the two other fillies caught up. "Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? What's goin' on? What happened?"

"Well," Sweetie Belle began.

"Oh! I know!" Pinkie exclaimed, "You met this creature named Cody who you thought was a monster, so you ran from him to the barn, but then tried to talk to him and you asked questions and he told you a story and..." Pinkie took a deep breath, "then, afterwards, was about to join you but then Applebloom saw her locket and asked for it back and Cody gave it back, but asked if Applebloom's mom had given it to her, which made her cry and you two chased her trying to help and now we're here." Pinkie took another deep breath. "Whew."

"Is this true?" Applejack asked, looking at Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle nodded, looking toward Scootaloo, who did the same. "Ah'm gonna teach him a lesson about buckin'. No creature, pony or not, makes my sister cry."

"Wait!" Twilight cried, "Think about it, Cody just asked a simple question. To him, it could have seemed harmless." Twilight reasoned. "I don't think bucking him into next week would help, but you could talk to him about it."

"Yeah," Applebloom sniffed, "Ah don't think he meant harm, he just struck a nerve, not on purpose."

"Ok, ah'll talk to 'im, but ah'm still pretty steamed that he made you cry." Applejack said, looking at Applebloom. "Do you know where he'd be?"

"I think he's still near the barn," Scootaloo said.

"Thanks." With that, Applejack took off, racing toward the barn. "Whew, I'm gonna run myself out today." As she reached the barn, she called out, "Cody!" A cry sounded out, followed by a loud thump. "Cody?"

"I'm right here," he said, holding his hand up. "I'm ok."

"Cody! What happened?" Applejack asked, rushing to him.

"I fell out of the tree. For some reason, I keep falling today. It's as if some other being is making me do this." Cody said, brushing leaves and grass off of himself, causing Applejack to chuckle slightly.

"Well, come on other worldly believer, we have to get to the picnic." Applejack said, holding her hoof to help him up.

"Wait, that's now?" Without another word, Cody dashed off.

"Oh it's a race, is it?" Quickly, Applejack dashed forward, easily overtaking Cody and flying toward the picnic area.

"Good race!" Applejack yelled out as she reached the blanket, turning around. Cody was struggling at the halfway point, still climbing the hills.

As he finally reached the blanket, he collapsed, out of breath. "You ok?" Dash asked, "You look a bit pale."

"Yeah," Cody puffed, "I'm fine. Just, thirsty."

"Here you go," Twilight called, levitating a small container, filled with water, towards him. He gladly took it and drained it, gulping madly.

"Are you sure you're ok? I've seen creatures drink, but never as fast as that." Fluttershy said.

"I'm fine," Cody said, still regaining his breath. "Sorry for drinking all of your water." He handed the empty container back to the alicorn.

"It's fine. I can get more," Twilight said, focusing on the container. In seconds, it was refilled.

Cody smiled looking from pony to pony. As his gaze reached Applebloom, his smile faded, replaced by a look of sadness. "Are you ok?" he asked, moving to get closer to her.

"I'm ok," she said, looking down to the blanket.

"I'm sorry for making you cry. I wasn't trying, I promise."

An awkward silence followed as everypony looked at the duo. Suddenly, Twilight levitated a basket toward the center of the blanket. "Who's ready to eat?" she called, levitating sandwiches with centers that looked to be made of daisies to everyone. "There's plenty more." She stated before digging into her own sandwich.

This seemed to cure the silence as a steady murmur of talk soon erupted among the friends. "Are you ready for school tomorrow?" Sweetie Belle asked Scootaloo.

"What! School starts tomorrow? I totally forgot!"

"School starts tomorrow?" Cody asked, looking at Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah! You could come with us if you'd like. That is, if you're allowed." Sweetie Belle said, finishing her daisy sandwich.

Cody looked around the blanket, meeting everypony's gaze. "Twilight? I think you'd be the best one to decide this." Rarity said, looking at Cody.

"Are you sure you'd like to go Cody? If so, I see no problem with it." Twilight said, looking seriously at Cody.

"I'd really like to. It'd help me learn about this world, and also make a few new friends." Cody said, looking hopefully at everypony.

"I think it would help as well," Twilight stated, "It could help make things feel normal as well."

"Yay!" Cody cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

"Ugh, Sweetie Belle, I found you a new egghead to hang out with." Scootaloo whispered to Sweetie Belle.

After everyone had finished eating, the blanket was packed. "Where will Cody stay for the night?" Fluttershy asked, "It's starting to get late." Everypony looked near the sun, seeing that it was reaching the edge of the sky.

"Oh! I need to go! I'll see you later!" Scootaloo dashed away toward the tree-house.

"Good question. Cody, do you have a specific place you'd like to stay?" Twilight asked.

"If I could, I'd like to stay here," Cody said.

"Do you have a problem with it Applejack?" Twilight asked, turning her gaze to Applejack.

"Ah don't. Do you Applebloom?" The filly shook her head.

"Ok. We'd better get going, it's going to be dark soon. It was fun to meet and talk with you Cody. I hope to see you around." Twilight said, lighting her horn. suddenly a bright flash erupted from it, leaving the area she had occupied empty.

The sky continued to darken as the ponies said their goodbyes, leaving one by one as they did so. As the last one left, Cody turned to Applejack. "I'm really sorry about that, I didn't know."

Applejack shook her head. "It's fine, only because you didn't do it on purpose. Let's not talk about that now. Are you tired?" she asked, starting to walk toward the farm house. "You'd better rest. You've got a busy day tomorrow, and I do too."

Silence permeated the land as the duo walked toward the house, the sunlight already diminished to a dull glow. As they reached the house, Cody asked, "Is it ok if I stay out here for a while?"

"Sure," Applejack started, "but you know you can come in at any time."

"I know, but thank you." With this, Applejack entered the house and closed the door. Quickly, Cody made his way back to the hilltop he had rested upon the previous night, easily finding it among countless others. Quietly, he laid down on it, ready to make it his bed again._ Today has been very interesting. I can't imagine what tomorrow will be like._ Images of his old school flashed through his head, bringing slight fear and sleep upon him. "Sleep well." He said, yielding to the sleep that called him so.

* * *

"He has already hurt one of my subjects!" Celestia exclaimed to Luna. "She ran off crying!" Celestia paced the throne room, clearly agitated.

"Yes," Luna started, "but not on purpose, and it does seem he is trying to make amends."

"True. However, he still hurt her. I shall keep careful eye over him."

"Just please, do not harm him." Luna pleaded.

"I promise I shall not. Have a good night fair sister." Celestia said, walking to her chambers. _It hurts me to see anypony like that, especially by another's actions, purposefully or not._ Reaching the doors to her room, Celestia opened the doors and walked inside, closing the doors with a semi-loud bang. "I hope he can make her feel better." Celestia laid on her bed. "He opened wounds that should not be touched." With those last words, she laid her head down, letting sleep take hold.


	6. Chapter 6: School

Cody's eyes snapped open as a bright flash pierced the sky, followed by a thunderous roar of thunder. "Ugh," Cody groaned, "It's not supposed to rain. There weren't any signs." Another flash appeared, followed by the same sound. "It'd probably be best to get inside." Slowly, Cody stood up. As he began to walk toward the house, another flash appeared, this time, a bolt nearly hitting him, bringing him fully awake.

"I don't remember the lightning striking that close before." Suddenly, multiple bolts appeared, getting extremely close to him. "What the?" Suddenly, Cody jumped to the side, the area he was previously standing, charred and smoking. "This isn't a normal storm!" Quickly, Cody took off running, the bolts of lightning seemingly following him, making a charred trail.

"I just need to get to the house!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he was propelled forward, falling to the ground. A sharp pain tore through his back, making him grab toward the area. A deep voice sounded from behind him.

"Ya' shouldn't have hurt mah sister." The lightning bolts now surrounded Cody, making an impenetrable wall of electricity. As Cody stood again, still holding his back, he saw the wall move, instantly closing again as a creature moved toward him. It looked to be a big, red stallion with a mechanism around his neck.

"Who are you? Are you Applejack's brother?" The stallion continued to advance on him until they were nose to nose. "I'm sorry for hurting Applebloom. I didn't mean to. It was a simple question."

"Listen here, if you even talk to her again, I'll buck you into next week, a lot worse than now," the stallion said.

"No-" Cody attempted to ask, failing as his jaw was hit hard by the stallion's back hooves. He instantly moved his hands from his back to his jaw, feeling a warm liquid spilling from it. Suddenly, Cody felt another sharp pain around his stomach as he went flying. As he looked up, he saw the stallion look at him for a moment, a dark smile on his face. Then, he simply walked away toward the house, leaving Cody to nurse his wounds. The lightning wall had dissipated, leaving rain to take its place.

The cool water felt good to Cody's wounds, but he knew he couldn't stay out for long without possibly getting hurt worse. _Perhaps he's done. I need to get to the house._ Slowly, Cody stood, keeping one hand on his seemingly broken jaw. As he limped toward the house, another bolt of lightning flashed, nearly hitting Cody. _Not this again. I can't dodge it if it does decide to aim for me again._ Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed toward him. _No!_

As if by magic, the bolt flew to the side, narrowly missing Cody's head. Cody now nearly ran, ignoring all injuries until he finally reached the door to the house, throwing it open and running inside. Once inside, he fell to the floor, nearly unconscious. "Hello son," a voice called from in front of him. Cody weakly lifted his head, using the last of his energy to get a glimpse of the figure in front of him. It looked to be a man, big and tall, around the size of his father. Suddenly, his head fell, hitting the wooden floor hard, causing blood to flow from his nose.

"Dad?" Cody called weakly, trying once again to lift his head.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken," the man said, voice changing into two tones. "I'm that which you fear most!" Suddenly, Cody was lifted off the floor by his head, pressure building up inside his head. "Do you remember me?" the creature asked. His hand turned to allow Cody a look at his blood red eyes.

"You're-"

"That's right!" Suddenly, the form of the creature morphed. The black cloak Cody remembered melted onto the creature in front of him, forcing Cody to remember every last detail of the previous nightmare. The scythe appeared in the creature's hand, still coated with the blood of Cody's parents. "You know, the man was fun to kill. I hope you will be too!" Suddenly, the creature started swinging him back and forth. "Wake up Cody! Wake up Cody! Wake up Cody!" the creature chanted, seeming to laugh as he did so.

In an instant, the world melted away, replaced by darkness. Pain coursed though Cody, making him twitch and groan. "Wake up Cody!" Echoed through his head one last time before everything turned white.

* * *

Cody's eyes snapped open as he sprung upright. "Where am I?" he asked no one in particular, looking around the area. He found himself sitting on the same hill he had been on the previous night, the sun now rising. His shirt was cold, damp with sweat.

"Are you ok Cody?" Applebloom asked, drawing Cody's gaze toward her. "You were talking in your sleep. Somethin' about dad? Then you started thrashing and ah started to try to wake you."

_They're getting worse._ "I'm fine. Just a nightmare. Is it time for school?" Cody asked, looking back to the sun, now peaking slightly over the trees.

"Almost." Applebloom replied. "We have a little time. Would you like some breakfast?"

"No, but thank you. I'll eat an apple if I'm allowed." After a slight nod from Applebloom, Cody ran and jumped into a tree, quickly coming out with a freshly picked apple.

"How did you learn to do that?" Applebloom asked, slightly in awe.

"I worked on the farm once," Cody replied, "You'll be shocked what you'll learn to do when you're hungry." He cracked a quick smile, earning a small one from Applebloom.

Suddenly, a loud buzz sounded, followed by a cry, "Get out of the way!" In less than a second, the blue scooter Cody had seen by the tree-house flew up over the hill. Attached to the back was a little blue wagon, fixed to attach to the back of the scooter. In it was a very pale Sweetie Belle.

"Are you ok?" Cody asked, looking at Sweetie Belle.

"J-just f-fine." She stuttered, still holding on to the edge of the wagon for dear life.

"Ready to go to school Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ready!" Applebloom chimed. As she walked to get in the wagon, Scootaloo looked at Cody.

"Are you coming?" she asked a bit impatiently.

"Y-yeah!" Cody stammered, quickly walking to the wagon and getting in. It was a tight fit, but all three fit successfully. Suddenly, the two fillies pulled out two helmets, Scootaloo already wearing hers.

"Get ready!" Scootaloo called back before using her wings to propel the scooter forward very quickly, sending everyone in the back flying backwards. "This is gonna be fun!" With that, Scootaloo took off, sending grass flying backwards as she went.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Sweetie Belle asked, stepping out of the wagon. Cody still clutched the edges of the wagon, afraid to let go if it started moving again.

"Don't worry, it's not going anywhere," Scootaloo said, seemingly reading his thoughts.

"I-I'm fine," Cody stammered. "You know, I think you could beat Rainbow Dash on that scooter," he said, finally lifting himself out of the wagon.

"Nah. Believe me, I've tried," Scootaloo said rubbing her head with her hoof. Suddenly, the sound of a bell rang out from the building they had stopped at, followed by the sound of a stampede of hooves.

"Come on! We'd better get inside!" Applebloom called, already nearing the door. Quickly, Cody moved near the quickly formed line to the door. _This is already completely different than my old school. _

As Cody was about to slide through the doorway, something caught him by the shoulder, forcing him to stop. "Hello, my name is Ms. Cheerilee, and who might you be?" A voice asked from behind him. Turning around, Cody saw a dark pink mare with a light pink and white mixed mane. On her flank was a symbol of three flowers. _Seriously what are these marks. I might need to ask this question soon._ She looked at him with kindness in her eyes.

"My name is Cody," Cody stated, "I'm a new student."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Cody. If you'd follow me, please." She passed Cody and walked through the door, Cody following close behind. As Cody entered the small classroom, all eyes seemed to turn to him and Ms. Cheerilee. Looks of shock and fear spread across the classroom as the students glanced between themselves and Cody, small murmurs barely audible around the room. "Good morning class!" Ms. Cheerilee called.

"Good morning Ms. Cheerilee!" the class responded, sounds of excitement, boredom, and fear equally spread throughout the room.

"We have a new student named Cody. Could you say hi to the class?" She asked, looking at Cody. Cody quickly glanced around the room, making eye contact with many of the students, who turned away. Sitting in three desks positioned next to each other, he found Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.

"Hi," he said quietly, voice shaking.

"Could you say that a bit louder?" Ms. Cheerilee asked.

"Hi," Cody repeated, just loud enough for the class to hear.

Mixes of responses followed, though most remained quiet.

"Thank you. Now, you may take a seat." Quickly, Cody scanned the room and found an empty desk, next to a grey colt. In what seemed to be record time, Cody walked to the desk and sat down, thankful that the colt didn't seem afraid. "Now let us begin," Ms. Cheerilee said, walking in front of her desk. "First, attendance."

* * *

"Oh! It looks like it's time for lunch!" Ms. Cheerilee exclaimed as the loud ring of the bell echoed through the room. Waves of students streamed down the isles, washing out of the small opening of the door. Cody waited until everyone else had left to leave, sliding out of his chair and making his way to the door.

As he walked outside, the steady stream of conversation quieted, tuned to hushed whispers. Everypony shared glances at him, each looking away if Cody looked in their direction. _Well, that's one thing that never changes I guess._ Quickly, Cody found a tree and jumped into it, happy to be out of sight of the others. As he did this, the steady stream of conversation resumed, as if he had never been there.

"I don't care if I looked weird getting here, I love it inside the trees. So peaceful," Cody whispered, adjusting himself within the tree. As he got comfortable, he closed his eyes, reflecting on the review they had started this morning. So far, they had reviewed the holidays, explaining each in high detail. Imaginings of Nightmare Moon floated through his head. _That must have been a very sad tale._

As Cody continued to remember the different holidays, a loud voice sounded, breaking his concentration. "Oh look who it is!" The voice said, seemingly getting closer, "It's the blank flanks!" Cody poked his head out of the foliage of the tree, checking to see what it was. Under the tree sat Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, being advanced upon by two fillies. One was white with a tiara with, what looked to be diamonds, on her head. The other was a greyish silver with blue-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her snout.

"Leave us alone Diamond Tiara," Scootaloo said, quickly glancing toward the white filly before looking away again.

"What? I was just coming over to say hello to my friends," Diamond Tiara said, sitting next to Applebloom, "Isn't that right Silver Spoon?" The silver filly nodded her head simply, sitting next to Scootaloo. Awkward silence followed the small conversation, glances being shared between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon frequently. Suddenly, the two visitors stood. "Well, that was a nice conversation, but I must be going." Quickly, Diamond Tiara grabbed Applebloom's bow and ran, untying it from Applebloom's mane.

"Hey!" All three fillies exclaimed, startled at the action.

"Gimme back mah bow!" Applebloom nearly screamed, running after Diamond Tiara, the others following.

"Ok, I've seen enough," Cody said. Hoisting himself up from sitting, he jumped out of the tree, hitting the ground and rolling with a loud thud. "Finally! Didn't fall!" Cody exclaimed, punching the air upward before running to catch up to the others. Quickly, he found that running wasn't the best idea. As he rested on a tree, he quickly found a pattern in the running. The fillies ran in a zigzag pattern, moving back and forth the same ways.

"If I can just...," Cody cut himself off, moving toward the race for the bow. As he reached it, Diamond Tiara raced past him. Before she could get away, Cody lunged forward, catching her by the leg, bringing them both crashing down. As he did this, the bell sounded, followed by Ms. Cheerilee appearing at the door.

"Time to come in!" She called. The wave of students ran toward the door.

"Oh! My leg!" Diamond Tiara cried out, looking to be limping, "My poor leg!" In what seemed to be less than a second, Ms. Cheerilee appeared behind them.

"What happened?" She asked, gently pushing past everyone to get to Diamond.

"We were playing and the new student tripped me," Diamond said, faking tears.

"That's not what happened!" Applebloom exclaimed, "She-"

"Quiet. Now, let's get you to the nurse's," Ms. Cheerilee said to Diamond. "You," she said, turning to look at Cody, "Stay outside the room until I return."

"Yes ma'am," Cody said sadly as Ms. Cheerilee helped Diamond Tiara up. As she did this, she dropped Applebloom's bow, turning around with a quick smirk. Slowly, Cody walked to it and picked it up, handing it back to Applebloom. "Sorry about your bow."

"It's ok," Applebloom replied, "Thanks for helping us get it back."

"Why, that little-" Scootaloo started.

"Don't worry. Punishment isn't that bad. At least, I don't think so. I really hope not," Cody said, starting to panic a little.

"Normally a talk, and some writing," Sweetie Belle explained.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Cody stated, starting to walk back to the building. "Come on, you'd better get back to class." Slowly, the party started on their path to the school.

* * *

"Now, what happened exactly?" Ms. Cheerilee asked, walking toward Cody. She held a notepad in her hoof, pencil in her mouth, ready to write.

"Well," Cody began", "I was in a tree when, I think her name is Diamond Tiara, took Applebloom's bow. When I saw it get taken, I decided to try to help get it back. I grabbed her leg to get the bow back."

"Diamond Tiara said they were playing," she responded.

"I wouldn't call it playing if someone stunned me and took something off of me," Cody stated.

"Do you have anyone who could vouch for you?" she asked.

"I know Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo could."

After scribbling in her notepad, Ms. Cheerilee looked back to Cody. "Thank you, you may go inside now." Quickly, Cody walked inside the room, once again stopping all conversation around.

"You know you can keep talking," Cody said irritably, trying not to scream in frustration, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"What about Diamond Tiara?" A few students asked, looking at him with big eyes.

"I didn't mean to hurt her, if I even did," Cody stated, "I was just trying to help Applebloom get her bow back."

As Cody continued to walk to his desk, the students shrunk into their desk, seemingly unconvinced. _Oh well, I have a bit bigger problem to deal with._

"Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, please come out here," Ms. Cheerilee called from outside. The three fillies slowly removed themselves from their chairs and trudged toward the door, fearing what they were being called for. Each one took a small glance at Cody before walking out the door.

* * *

"Have a good day class!" Ms. Cheerilee called as the bell signaling the end of the day rang. Just as before, excited fillies and happy colts dashed out the door, some leaping in joy. All who remained sat in their desk, not daring to look at the teacher, nor themselves. These students consisted of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Cody.

"Now," Ms. Cheerilee started, opening her book, "Let me get this straight. Cody, you were in a tree. Why?" She asked with genuine concern in her voice.

"I wanted to get away from the stares," Cody admitted, "It was the only thing I could think of."

"Why not try to make friends?"

"Because they would have run if I got near them, I could see it. I don't want to scare anyone."

Ms. Cheerilee looked slightly thrown from the unusual word, but said nothing, instead, taking short notes. "Now," she said, finishing her notes, "I will recount the story I have been told." She flipped a page and began reading, "Cody was in a tree, watching the scene unfold. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. After a short talk, Diamond Tiara took Applebloom's bow out of her mane and ran. A chase unfolded in which the three aforementioned students and, now, Cody partook in. In the end, Cody grabbed Diamond Tiara's leg to get her to give Applebloom's bow back." She finished reading. "Is this correct?"

After a few short nods from everyone, she turned back to her book. Quickly, she finished and looked back up, closing the book in the process. "Because this is the first day of school, I will be lenient. Cody, Diamond, you will both get a warning only. You should have come to me, not taken matters into your own hands, not in this."

Both Cody and Diamond nodded at this, Cody sincerely, Diamond passively. Ms. Cheerilee's expression, which had been strict during the meeting, suddenly turned to a soft smile. "Ok, thank you for clearing this up, you can go now. Have a nice day!" With those words, the students made their way quickly out the door.

As they walked outside, Diamond Tiara stopped in front of them, turning around. "Don't mess with me, I believe it was Brody? Maybe I shouldn't even bother giving you a name. You don't deserve it. You don't belong here, and you never will. See you later, Cutie Mark Lame-saders!" With that, the two walked off, out of sight.

"Don't listen to her Cody," Sweetie Belle said, "she's just a bully."

"I don't mind," Cody said, a bit gloomy, "it hardly hurts anymore. I actually am a bit happy that they all avoided me, that she did that. It reminds me of home. I am worried about her though. She wouldn't bully for no reason, would she?"

"She's done it to us for forever! We didn't even do anything to her!" Scootaloo nearly yelled.

"Yeah!" Applebloom agreed.

_Perhaps it's another reason._ "I'm sorry for interrupting this, but, we'd better get home." At the word home, Scootaloo's expression dropped.

"Are you ok?" Cody asked, worried.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Yeah, we'd better get home. Hop on!" she said as she strapped on her helmet. The three passengers hopped in and put on their helmets, except for Cody. "Hold on!" she said, turning around. For a split second, Cody thought he saw a tear fall from her eye, but, in an instant, it was gone, replaced by the sudden wind of speed.


End file.
